Pops of the Cake Variety

I have been informed in a not-quite-gentle way that I am slacking and should have posted an entry about my cake pops situation. So.  Melissa- shut your maw, and here it is.
I happened upon a recipe for Jack-o-lantern cake pops in my most recent Betty Crocker magazine (because I am THAT cool, to get the BC mag...) and not only did they sound deeee-licious, they were adorable and looked easy.  Well, they are delicious, and if done correctly, adorable, but not quite as easy as one might imagine. Basically you bake a cake and let it cool, and then you crumble it in a big bowl and mix with frosting.  Then you take little balls of that (or in the case of other shapes, you do whatever) and freeze them.  Then you use the easily-melted chocolate and dip the little balls in it once you've put them on the lolli stick- thus making them a pop!  Then you decorate! (oh yes, and you have to put the stick in a Styrofoam block to let the chocolate harden first)
It all sounds so easy, but making the little cakey balls look like balls and not lumpy bumpies is HARD!

Here are my lumpies. (not to be confused with whatever Fergie was talking about in that one song.)
I can say that even though they are lumpariffic, they are good.  Apparently when you let the chocolate harden it shrinks a little, and this results in cracks on some of the pops, so I did what any great product-controlling individual would do- I ate them.  It tastes like a cake flavored truffle on a stick. Fabulous.
And I decorated a few,

I used a black glitter gel, but I think that it would be loads easier if I had sprung for the $9 food coloring pens and done the faces that way.  And even though they are far from the adorable balls that are shown, I like to think my little dudes have "character."  You know, like when you ask someone what they think of something and the response is "well, it's..... different."  They are different, but unapologetically.


Look here for more goodness!
http://www.bakerella.com/